French versus English Volume 92

Minister advises immigrants to leave native dress behind

"IfI was goingto playthe mystical, I could walk with a panther skull on my chest,because it is myfamilyemblem.But Ido not do itbecauseI agree to adopt the values ofthe host society, "commented the Minister ofCulture and Communications. Link

Dunno....I think it'd be kind of cool to give an interview in a native outfit!

PQ's hilarious flip-flop on school taxes

The Bobbsy twins!

In order to balance the budget, the PQ did an interesting sleight of
hand, cutting tens of millions of dollars in financing from Quebec's school boards, with the advice that they should make up the difference by dipping
into reserve funds, cutting expenses or increasing school taxes, (which they can do.) The school boards opted to impose tax increases and the public hit the roof. Link

Here is a translation on a French article over at Antagoniste.net. If you read 'French, do the author the courtesy of reading the story HERE.

Here's what was said Feb 13, 1013"The
Minister of Education, Marie Malavoy encourages school boards to raise
taxes to mitigate the impact of the cuts she imposed upon
them.... Ms. Malavoy believes that school boards therefore have a
"flexibility" and invites them to use the power of taxation."

TheMinister of Education, Marie Malavoy, refuses to criticizethe decision of severalschool boardsto increaseschool taxeson their territory.Respondingto widespread criticismdenouncingthese increases,Ms.Malavoyargued that shedid not want tojudge theschool boards in relation to the government cuts in aid.. She reported thatin some areas, although the increase was40 percent, it amounted toan increase of onlytwentydollars.Ms.Malavoybelieves thatschool boardshave neverthelessremainedwithin thereasonable bounds and have notimposed​​excessiveincreases.

Here's what was said Sept 11 2013: According to Ms. Malavoy, the government wants the school boards to freeze their taxes where they are unable to reduce their spending, increase revenue other than by taxing or dipping into their surplus. "We, especially in August, made a detailed analysis of the situation of school boards, and indeed there are many who have not taken their responsibilities as they were invited to do so," she said.

Here's what was said September 16 2013:The increase in school taxes for many homeowners shall not be allowed. The Premier Pauline Marois therefore is requiring school boards to redo their calculations within 15 days. Eventually, the homeowners who paid may be able to receive a credit, rather than direct payments. The government, which met with the school board Monday, believes that they have abused their power of taxation.

Another flip-flopper is PQ Minister Jean-François Lisée, who upon his return from pressing government business in Africa rushed into the Charter debate.

"A Parti Quebecois minister says his party is willing to change or
replace some institutions' ability to opt-out of the Quebec charter of
values.When the proposal was first unveiled, the Marois government said
hospitals, universities, CEGEPs and municipalities would be able to
withdraw for a renewable five-year period.Now, minister Jean-François Lisée says this mechanism is up for discussion, adding that it would not be scrapped entirely."The opting-out clause has been debated. Is it the right tool? Is it
correctly fine-tuned? Are there other ways we could manage the
transition?' he says.The entire island of Montreal has said it would pull-out of a charter
that would ban its employees from wearing religious headgear.But, Lisée says Montreal can't be allowed to run indefinitely under a different set of rules."Link

PQ = Incoherence

Montreal unites against Charter of Quebec values

"MONTREAL—The
municipalities that make up the island of Montreal have united against
the Quebec government’s proposed charter of values and intend to opt out
of the divisive program if the minority Parti Québécois government ever
succeeds in passing it into law.

The rebuke comes from a
group of 15 suburban mayors and the main candidates currently running
to become the next mayor of the City of Montreal. It pits the
representatives of more than 1.8-million Quebecers — more than one-fifth
of the province’s population — against a contentious proposal from
Premier Pauline Marois’ party to ban the wearing of religious symbols like hijabs, turbans, kippas and large crucifixes by public-sector employees.

Phillipe Roy, the
mayor of the town of Mount Royal and the representative of the Association
of Suburban Municipalities, said their 15-city organization intends to
opt out en masse. “The Marois government needs to go back and do its homework,” Roy told La Presse. “They never consulted with us Montrealers.”"Link

Both McGill University and the Université de Montréal, have both announced that given the option they will opt out of the Charter. Link{fr}

And so the PQ falls victim to its very own 'Notwithstanding Clause'

You say 'Tow-may-toe,' I say 'Ta-mah-toe'

It seems that Quebec politicians can't even agree over facts. In a farcical article in a Montreal French language newspaper, the leaders disagreed about the job situation in a debate in the National Assembly.

Francois Legault was reduced to holding up a big chart indicating that Quebec has lost a considerable amount of jobs in the last year of the PQ reign.

So according to who you believe, Quebec either gained 15,000 jobs(PQ), lost 4,000 jobs(CAQ) or lost 45,000 jobs(Lib).

Denial is not a River in Egypt

Charter apologists are working overtime in defending the good name of Quebecers over several instances of intolerance in regards to Muslims being targeted by bigoted Quebecers.

Some of the incidents can't be explained away, like this video of a Hijab clad woman being berated by a francophone intellectual on a Montreal bus.

There seems to be a recurring theme that these incidents are really phoney and created by anti-charter forces bent on humiliating Quebecers over the Charter.
Here's a picture of 'a person of interest' who may or may not be the person who delivered that manifesto sent to a radio station concerning the pig's blood incident at a mosque in Chicoutimi.

Hmmm....doesn't look like a Muslim to me!!!

In the comments section of this very blog we've heard the same refrain over and over again.IT'S A PLOT!!!

Here's a video produced by Montreal's blue collar workers protesting the corruption surrounding the construction industry.

Xxxx

When the blue collars were accused of casting aspersions on the Italian community, the union asked... Whatever gave that impression?

Two other incidents are being shrugged off as the work of anti-charter forces.

This next one is particularly strange because the Church isn't Greek, the congregation is composed of mostly Blacks from the Islands. Link

Curiouser and curiouser....

Now here is a special treat for those who understand French. It is a radio interview with a woman who accuses a veiled Muslim woman of reverse discrimination. The radio interviewer agrees, failing to see the fly in the ointment.

It seems that the woman witnessed an incident wherein a passerby stopped two Muslim shoppers and asked politely why they were wearing a veil.

It seems the two Muslims took exception (I daresay it happens often enough) and unleashed a nasty verbal assault on their interlocutor, at which point the witness to the story intervened and told the Muslims that it was just an innocent question that deserved a fair response.

The scene degenerated, into name-calling, proof positive that the confrontation was the fault of the Muslims!

Open letter to Pauline from a Montreal expat

"Allow me to begin by apologizing for writing in English. I know that
you speak and read English very well and though I am a fluent speaker of
French, I have lost some of my fluency in the written language after
spending eight years in an entirely English-speaking professional and
academic environment. I write to you in English because I can best
express myself on the subject of an extremely complex issue in my first
language. Please feel free to respond in French.I am un Québécois errant. I left Québec in 2005 to pursue my
doctorate in history, and I am now teaching at Rutgers University in New
Jersey. Like Québécois scholars who have trod this path before me, such
as Daniel Turp and Jacques Parizeau, I feel a constant and deep longing
for ma patrie. It is my greatest desire to someday return home.My family has deep roots in Québec. My grandfather arrived as an
immigrant from Central Europe in 1912. In his early days in Montréal, he
worked clearing snow from the street of Sainte-Cunegonde Ward in
Saint-Henri. Later, he moved his family to the old Jewish
neighbourhood in the Plateau Mont-Royal, where he worked in the garment
industry and managed a shop for many years.Read the rest of the letter

In passing

I laughed out loud when I read a story in a Montreal newspaper that the city of Montreal is going to spend another $1.2 million on a new feasibility study about connecting the southern portion of Cavendish Boulevard in Cote-St. Luc with the northern portion in Ville St. Laurent. Link{fr}

This project has been kicking around for over forty years and I'm sure that the city already has countless studies up the wazoo.

Call it a Montreal's version of New York city's 2nd avenue subway project which has been planned since 1929 and is still not complete.
Here's a hilarious video sendup of the project in AMC's Mad Men, a television series based in the sixties.
Remember, the project is still nor completed.
(Shout out to R/W/B for the subway story)

Bonne fin de semaine!

156 comments:

Out of all of the things coming out of Quebec the stat that 49% of adults are illiterate was astounding, I was literally taken aback by it. How can that possibly be? That's lower than the global illiteracy rate!

Now, now, student there is no reason to get upset that Quebec has one point higher illiteracy rate than the rest of Canada. I mean, I didn't claim it was only a Quebec thing, no need to get so defensive all the time.

This is going to sound strange, but I'm wondering who are the illiterate mentioned in this article? I don't think the provincial or local government are worried about Quebecois who can't read or write in English, so it must mean illiteracy in French. Do the 49% come from local Anglophones who haven't learned French, immigrants (including people from the ROC) who haven't done the same, or native Francophones whose native language is French and have gone to French schools yet still can't read or write French properly?

@ StudentOnly reporting select parts of one poll is a very different thing than reporting separate stats from two different levels of state from two different studies completed 10 years apart, especially when the later is a binary condition, either literate or illterate, there is no wiggle room to hide a third category of "unsure". Knowing the level of literacy in Canada is interesting for comparative reasons but it does not change that 49% of people in Quebec are functionally illterate. Now saying that only 46% of people support something while not saying the the other 54% is actually split and not 54% against it is fundamentally misleading.

@EdwardThe illiterate are Francophones who just can't read, but they also mention elderly who lose their ability to read as they age (part of the reason why the percent is expected to rise with the aging population) as well as immigrants who have not reached functional levels of French yet as two large groups, I don't believe they included anglophones being tested on French.

Thanks! I hope that I didn't come off as attacking Anglos---most of the posters here (including some of the posters like S.R. who insist on posting only in French) are bilingual. I just find it incredible that as many as 49% of people in a modern Western city that uses an alphabet are unable to read properly.

If the article is right and 48% of Canadians are functionally illiterate, I find that incredible as well. Then again, I see on this message board and throughout the internet spelling and grammatical mistakes that, to be perfectly honest, shouldn't be made in the first place. I'm not talking about "Hey, why is everybody here adding "u"'s to the middle of their words?" I'm referring to people using the wrong homophones. "Hear" instead of "here." "There" instead of "their" or "they're." "It's" instead of "its." If I am singling out English, it's only because I *know* English. I'm sure everyone else here has similar stories about someone writing French wrong,

According to Wikipedia, Canada's functional illiteracy percentage is 14% and my country's is 20%. Where is the 48% coming from.

@ StudentThe comparative context is interesting yes, Canada is not where it should be in terms of literacy, nor is Quebec. However not reporting the stats on Canada does not fundamentally change that Quebec is not where it should be. Sure saying Canada is just as bad as Quebec does make Quebec not as bad in relation to Canada but only if you assumed the whole point of the topic was a pissing match between Quebec and Canada which it really wasn't meant to be. I was just generally surprised it was that low.

@EdwardEr when you say extra u's in words you mean mean the British (as apposed to the American) way of spelling some words like colour, humour, flavour? Or do you mean actual typos? I don't even think they are including people who mess up homophones in that number because in the grand scheme of things that wouldn't really affect their ability to function in terms of literacy. Functional illiteracy is only the people who can't read but can still function day to day, it's kind of a separate concept, they might be included in the 49% as well as everyone that is nonfunctional illiteracy, who have trouble getting by due to their illiteracy. Though it really would have been nice for the gazette to link to the actual report to know for sure.

Hmm now I wonder how he got that over inflated contract from the PQ in the first place? Hmm couldn't be all of the donations he gave to the PQ as well could it? Nahh, I mean he's clearly a stand up guy and the PQ would never give favour to it's friends or supporters...well except for Gilles Duceppe, Nicolas Girard, André Boisclair...hmm actually there seems to be a rather extensive list, so for brevity's sake I'll leave it there.

I'm afraid S.R. is correct as to how francophones themselves use these terms. I'm sorry, but you don't get to decide how another culture uses certain terms. "Habitant" is a pejorative term loosely translating to "redneck", and "French Canadian" is a term used mainly when speaking to anglophones.

It boggles the mind why Quebecois would ridicule les Habitants considering they tend to deify New France. Regardless Habitant as a brand has been around for 90 years long before the mocking began and they use the word as it's historical and original meaning.

As you said "you don't get to decide how another culture uses certain terms" the soup company is the one honouring les Habitants and you shouldn't impose your insulting bastardized version of the word upon them.

"French Canadian" is a term used mainly when speaking to anglophones."

Kind of makes sense for it to be on the English side of the can then doesn't it?

In all seriousness Yannick, where I grew up Habitant is not used as a pejorative and I've never seen it used as such, however there are a number of historic sites/ tourism areas around there dedicated to the actual historical people, so that might be why? Is it mostly an urban people insulting rural thing? Ex. calling anyone not from the city a hick? I can't imagine anyone actually thinks it's called Hick soup if they aware of the historical people, I mean life was not easy for Les Habitants, I really don't get the insult.

Anglophones do not use it derogatorily, and that use is actually fairly old-timey. When I was a child, I mentioned to a Quebecer that I was an Acadian. He called me an habitant before starting to do impressions of the sagouine. It was meant as an insult, but I had to ask my parents/grand-parents to learn that it meant hick.

I've read in my history books that the term originates from a Seigneur(lord)/peasant class distinction, but it probably evolved into urbanite/rural divide since.

It's worth noting that it's anglophones who call the Montreal Canadians the "Habs", I've never heard a franco call them that in my life, at least not while speaking French. They seem to refer to it as "Le Canadien de Montréal". You can read about how it came to be here.

It also boggles the mind how the Québecois can defend minorities when they're considered one, and oppress them when they're not. Quebec society is full of contradictions. This is one of them.

"Regardless Habitant as a brand has been around for 90 years long before the mocking began and they use the word as it's historical and original meaning."

Afraid it's the other way around. It was originally meant to highlight the fact that the first Habs were from a rural background, to highlight their "french underdog" status. Since then it has become a term used by Anglophones who have clearly forgot any derogatory connotations it used to have.

How does one jump from Acadian to Habitant? I mean sure some of them might have been, but that's like assuming all quadrilaterals are squares...also what a dick that guy was.

So in effect it's pretty much used like peasant is used in English? Which is also messed up because 98% of people back in the day would have actually been peasants so how do they think they are looking down their nose at them? It's like going out and calling someone middle class as an insult. The same goes for the habitant/Seigneur distinction, really you think you would have been running the show if you lived back then? You think the Seigneur were stand up folks?

Anywho it's kind of ridiculous to get offended or upset about the soup name, I mean clearly the intent was to evoke the historical use of homegrown, hearty, country style soup and not "hick" soup. We can't let the defamers win, we need to take that word back! I mean what's next, getting offend by Pepsi, Tim Hortons or Jo Louis because some people use those as derogatory words as well?

so habitants is derogatory because of history but angryphones is okay right? its not like you know, the french nobles nearly eradicted the english language back in 1066. but all these are so fucking petty anyway compared to the slurs POC experience such as redsk*n, n*gger, sp*c, ch*nk etc. imperatif francais needs to check its white privilege they're just stiring shit like always. they people need to stop acting oppressed because oppression = power + prejudice and francophones have so much power now.

And why would the numbers for the greatest rise be in Ottawa? Let me tell you: because the federal government insist on hiring people due to their ability to speak french rather than the ability to do the job. Surprise, surprise. Self explanatory. If this policy is changed, that figure will go down tremendously and this can be done if we partition this province and let the losers go.

Idiotic at 100%! When you don't want to see the reality, you pull out of thin air data which have no relevance for the present.In the PRESENT, so now, not in the future, 49% of your proud fellows are semi-illiterate or completely illiterate. 49%!And of course, when you have nothing to say (like all ugly separatists), you start insulting (tête carrée) and accusing the other of being "obtus". I don't see any possible dialogue.The best way is to ignore individuals like you.

when you said that the Muslim was being berated by a francophone intellectual on a Montreal bus, you were kidding us upon using the word "intellectual"?? I know Quebecois like proclaiming themselves intellectuals as soon as they start reading a book (when/if they read) or intellectuals by default ("it's NOUS, so we are automatically intellectuals"), but I hope you were joking...right?

If he equates the hijab to a dish cloth, someone else could turn around and make the same analogy of the Quebec flag, n'est ce pas?After all...sacred to you, obviously doesn't mean sacred to me. Theoretically, that woman on the bus could request a Quebec Flag from the National Assembly on Qc city, I think they give them out for free...then she can wash her dishes with a rag too. Just sayin'

Well as we can readily see, the poor office handling these "religious accommodation complains" have been totally overwhelmed with the huge numbers that are now out there for the whole world to see:http://blogs.montrealgazette.com/2013/09/19/by-the-numbers-the-religious-accommodations-problem-in-quebec/There's going to be a lot complaints for the police to handle with these racist bigots in office. The whole damn idea is so totally wrong but the PQ will go down fighting for any chance to win a majority government on the backs of the anglophone and allophones that are unfortunate enough to live within quebec. What a bunch of losers.

Be sure to catch Barry Wilson on the incidents that are now occurring in quebec due to the charter of quebec values:http://montreal.ctvnews.ca/postscript-parti-quebecois-played-with-matches-1.146327911th place! Great news!

The charter of Quebec value may have more thing to do with money than the religious: Muslim people compete directly with French Quebecois for welfare checks! Indeed, they have many things in common but because of political correctness no one dares to speak out (including me)...

Copied off of FB page Camp du Oui:The event will be September 22, 2013 redirect you to the page "Demonstration for the Quebec Charter of Values" on September 22 at 2:00 p.m. Place Émilie-Gamelin to Canada Place

So now they're going to have a rally for the Charter! Will be interesting if the two groups get out on the same day!

Montreal like Copenhagen??? Are you kidding me?? Change the shitty attitude, learn something more other than "NOUS-NOUS-NOUS-NOUS", educate Quebecois to the diversity, stop pushing away non-Francophones, learn some bloody English, invest money wisely, teach real things (not, "NOUS/EUX"), change your priorities (from language/NOUS/identity to jobs/economy/investments/skills development)...and maybe we could make some comparison.Right now Montreal is more or less a slum, an ugly unfriendly slum where you are offered dirty water under the pretext it will turn into champagne by drinking it...

Yes, student. I am in Montreal and I have lived 2 years in Copenhagen. No comparison at all. Unfriendly, proudly unilingual, insular and anti-English and anti-Others (MTL) versus open-minded, cosmopolitan, English-friendly (COP).First thing I was told upon landing in Montreal in 2006 (French ONLY): "Retourne cdhez toi : ici on parle seulement français".First thing I was told upon landing in Copenhagen in 2000 (in English and Danish): "Welcome to Danmark. Velkommen til Danmark. Oh, you are German, so Willkommen in Dänemark"Quiz for student: find the difference!

Wow, thanks Cutie, I think the Winnipeg Sun article is my favorite and the most fitting "Send in the Clowns". Where are the Clowns? Reminds me of the lovely Barbara Streisand song, oh they probably don't play that here QC, she is after all a Jew

if you take the poll at the bottom of the article, it's interesting to note that only 45% of the winnipeg sun's readership think public sector employees should be allowed to wear religious outfits at work. how do you explain that mate? that's a big support for secularity. do you think the pq's project has similar swag all over canada?

1. It's 46% now.2. 44% think it should be secular and 9% are undecided. It's important to give context, I mean if you don't you might lead people to think that 55% support the ban, if "only" 45%, and I'm sure it wasn't your intention to mislead people like that.3. Trying to generalize the results of an unscientific poll on a fairly partisan newspaper's website to the whole of Canada is kind of like generalizing Fox News viewers opinions on democrats to the rest of the US. 4. I don't think anything the PQ does has much swag in the rest of Canada. ;)

1. oh sorry, you're right not 45% but 46%. big difference.2. i don't think what i wrote is misleading.3. i didn't generalize. i asked if i could. if you don't think the same numbers will repeat all accross canada please tell the community about your reasoning. also, i'm sure cutie003 will be thankful after learning that her favourite news source is biased.4. well it does in winnipeg for sure.

1. No problem.2. It is fundementally misleading to not make clear there is a third group in a poll.3. And I told you, you couldn't generalize. I never said they would repeat across Canada. Every news outlet has a bias, here's an interesting article on the subject: http://freakonomics.com/2012/02/16/how-biased-is-your-media/. 4. Again, you can't generalize the results of one unscientific newspaper study to an entire city.

2. ok let me rephrase: 55% of the winnipeg sun's readership is not against the ban on religious outfits proposed by the pq.3. you're still not saying why you don't think these numbers would apply elsewhere in canada. it's required if you want to block me from generalizing.4. i'm not generalizing to the whole city mate. i'm just saying there are secularity charter supporters in winnipeg, as proven by this pole. be careful mate you're getting me to think you might be in the 49% from the other study.

2. Still misleading because you're lumping the 9% who don't know in with the 44% who support it, they are separated into 3 groups for a reason and you shouldn't be rephrasing it, you should present the stats as it was collected otherwise you're imposing a slant on them that isn't in the data.

3. It's basic statistics and research methods, you cannot generalize the findings of a sample that is not representative of the population, to the population. The sample in this case is of a very small subsection of the population, people who read the winnipeg sun online and find that article interesting enough to click on and read, and who choose to vote.

4. You don't know there are charter supporters in winnipeg, why? For a few reasons. The first is the question does not ask do you support the charter, it asks about support for the banning of religious items in Quebec, not the charter. So for all you know they could be strongly against other provisions in the charter, you can't assume. The other reason is, is that it's an unscientific online poll. What does that mean? It means that anyone online can vote on it, not just people in Winnipeg, which means you can't assume it represents people from Winnipeg, for all I know you, Cutie, or even Sting voted in it. So you cannot say that there is "for sure". 5. Leave out the lazy insults.

I can't explain it and I am sure the PQ, I wouldn't call it a project, I like to call it the "Charter of no Values" does have swag in many other parts of Canada, Especially in rural areas such as Manitoba outlying areas of QC and ON etc.

However, that doesn't mean it is right? I mean the anti civil rights movement in the US had tons of swag, especially in the South but also areas of the North again mostly rural areas but most agree it was not right and therefore it was stopped

no it doesn't. you're right. what it means though is it's not a quebec only debate. it proves that the quebec population is in sync with other province's populations on this. it's not french vs minorities or french vs english as is kinda portrayed on this blog. it proves that this blog's community, which i assume to be a majority of anglo montrealers, is unanimously against the charter not because it thinks it's wrong, but because it comes from the pq. and it proves that quebec puts itself ahead of the pack by tackling the issue.

Don't know why you refer to me as a mate, since we don't even know each other? Not to mention that based on your comments throughout this blog I doubt you and I would have much in common, therefore making us far from "mates"

To be clear and I only speak for MYSELF "mate". I could careless who presented this charter, whether it be the PQ, Liberal or Aliens I am opposed to it.

For me, it has nothing to do with a dislike of the PQ as you purport, it has to do with an infringement on peoples personal freedoms granted by both QC and Canada. Nothing more, nothing less, no hidden agenda and no conspiracy theory.

"For me, it has nothing to do with a dislike of the PQ as you purport, it has to do with an infringement on peoples personal freedoms..."

so why didn't you jump all around when it was forbidden to public service employees to come to work with obvious politically adorned attire like a parti québécois tshirt or a liberal party neck tie? after all, freedom of opinion and expression are also granted by the trudeau charter, aren't they?

I think we all know they don't give a rat's ass about the fact the charter isn't right...by Democratic and Civil Rights Standards, they are in power to serve their small feeble-minded agenda. It's all about..."What is right for ME ME ME"..and their version of who entails the NOUS.

We have spent countless hours and days here ranting about this stupid charter. Personally, I'd like to see the conversation shift to...So what are we going to do about it ..NOW? Enough about the problem...what about a Solution? Can any of the Lawyers weigh in?.. Such as what options are available immediately to someone in the public service right now who wears a hijab etc...how can they be proactive NOW, in counteracting or even harpooning this plan?

Where are the Apparatchik's, the R.S's, the Equanimity's, the Anon Coward's, the Durham's when you need em'?? C'mon guys...pretty sure you have somethin' to say about how we can bulldoze this freakin' thing where it lives...Yeah I mean the charter TOO ..Lol LOL

You are child Pinstripes, and it is really too bad Editor indulges you to this extent. But he may quickly learn that if he doesn't begin taking some drastic measures where you're concerned, the relatives will stop visiting. No one needs to deal with the caprices of an unruly kid..this much. I will go tend to my garden now and with any luck..you' ll find a matchbook to play with before I return.

ok you can leave for now, but when you return, please don't "rant" anymore cause i think it's damaging to the blog. kinda offensive for the editor to admit your comments are long speeches that usually result in rambling and repeating of nonsence. (definition from urbandictionary.com)

Before you mutter anything more about urban dictionaries:...https://www.hookedonphonics.com

There's a link YOU could use ..pinstripes. But let me tell you this..it gives me limitless pleasure to know that when you and the other trolls go to sleep at night, you are endlessly tortured by the things I post, the comments I make, the long speeches and the endless ramblings me and many others go on about. You see...that's enough incentive to keep ME posting...and I hope others too. Haven't the past 40 yrs taught you anything about who truly embodies Stamina and Staying Power? Lemme give u a hint..IT AINT YOU!

My comment earlier, which you immediately seized to distort...PINSTRIPES..(Excuse-me..but did you just meet me? Cause I've whipped your miserable ass singlehanded more times than I care to mention), was made most sincerely because these are the people I often drop by to read as well as the posts by the Editor...you schmuck.

"...the long speeches and the endless ramblings me and many others go on about."

now you admit your comments are ramblings. meaning they lack a coherent plan; are diffuse and disconnected (according to the freedictionary.com this time). by jove it's getting obvious you want to get thrown out of here mate. keep it up.

Don't get fooled by this freedom of expression crap. I mean this sincerely. This is just a way to appease to the special interest group known as religion. The time has come for people of reason to stand-up and say no to these cults.

If you had a job and wanted to wear a swastika, or your KKK headgear, would you be allowed? Then why can't the government tell you not to wear headgear representative of organizations that believe in discrimination towards homosexuals, and the promotion of women as subservients.

Freedom of Religion is freedom to believe. It is not however the right to display one's divine bigotry as their uniform over the right of their employer. This is what this discussion is about.

These people fighting against the Quebec Charter are the same lot who said gay marriage would promote pedophilia, .. who said abortion would lead to the destruction of morality. If you think that wearing the symbol of death (crucifix) around your neck is truly something special.. it's absurd.

If Christ was killed by electric chair, would we allow people to wear mini-chairs around their necks?

This debate in Quebec is a precursor to the debate which will make its way to Ontario soon enough which is the cessation of funding to separate schools here.

Say Yes to Science and Reason and no to superstition. I don't want to be served by a government worker who can visibly demonstrate that they believe in homophobia by wearing their religious symbol while getting paid on the taxpayer's dime.25 2 •Reply•Share ›

Agreed, I am personally hoping it does pass, sparking the fight in Ottawa that they seek. Maybe it will fire up their base enough to finally have the courage of their convictions and they will pass their referendum

At that point the only time I will have to deal with them is when I come to Montreal to get a smoked meat, never really like poutine anyway

We'll see ...since they think they may be "WINNING"...in the illusion of their minds anyway...oh and...in their version of The Polls ( I'd chat up Mitt Romney on that one). It's been hinted they may even call a snap election before the year is up...no doubt many people would like to see them crash and burn... way before then...

The sad thing is the province of Quebec has been going heavily into debt for decades. Governments all across the country have been on a spending and hiring spree, and more debt… since the 1960’s…a real mess in the making. Lets not just blame the PQ, the liberals started most of this mess…they are all the same folks…a few differences but not many.

"We don’t want the party to end, the “free” trips, expense accounts…perks, gold plated pensions, free this, free that…Yes indeed, see we in government, are all entitled to our entitlements folks and we can’t stop that, at least not until we retire. Our unions say so, it’s ours and we want it now...$$” Nice eh? See what working for government has become? Go look at all the debt mounting. Governments all across Canada, the US… have been on a hiring binge, a spending spree for decades now. Government = police, fire, hospitals, teachers, lawyers…= high salaries, bonuses, pensions, perks… all out of control for decades now = More and more debt…making the connection yet?

Decades of overspending…more and more debt, see what these people are doing to future generations?

The real Fiscal cliff 101 –

US - $16.9 trillion in debt

Ontario debt as of today - $270 billion, 968 million andchange...what a mess.

When and how does it end? Greece, Ireland, Californian, Wisconsin, Detroit, Kebec…all technically bankrupt…a real mess in the making and no one in government or the mainstream media (CBC, CTV…) is dealing with it. Nice eh?

This is what all politicians in the country are ignoring. Pathetic, all of them.

Ah so your rational was, they were there in what was to become Quebec when New France was founded, but they don't count because you don't want them to? The Native Americans allies to Champlain were important traders who helped the French colonists set up and adapt to life on the new continent, as well as fought together against the Iroquois (all of this by 1609, one year after the founding of Quebec) and were important traders and trappers that supported the life blood of New France the fur trade.

All of that aside, your logic is only the French are part of Quebec society because only French settlers (28, all but 8 of whom died in the first year) were there at one moment in 1608? So Native Americans are in Quebec for hundreds to thousands of years, the French arrive and are there from 1608 to 1763 (155 years) and then English, Scottish, Irish, Welsh, and Jewish and have been here since then (250 years), but only the middle French only part (even though there were many other immigrant nationalities living and trading in Quebec during that period), which is a relative blip on the radar of history counts? Denial thy name is Jorge.

I believe he was referring to modern Montreal, and not colonial era Quebec. I'm not sure why you brought up New France, it as a nation is gone just like the dominance of the various First Nations listed. Our parliamentary system is now British and many diverse cultures have helped shape Montreal. Quebec isn't going to become New France anymore than a new Iroquois society is going to spring forth from Montreal. Those nations are gone and they're not coming back, the population has changed to much.

Good news some international press for Quebec! (reads article) oh well that doesn't make Quebec look very good at all! (waits for the people who supported amnesty international when they were criticizing the Liberals to start attack amnesty international)

FROM EDAnectote, you ask, 'Where are all the more sensible bloggers gone." My guess is that like me they are fed up with the two troll running the blog.The blog has descended to a mere "support group' where we all agree to abree with one another that "Quebec has problems". All you're doing is putting up boring lnks which say the same thing, "Quebec has problems" I have not seen a sensible complete thought from anyone for days.The inanities with the trols is what's driving away your contributors. Your top thinkers People like R.S. Yannick and Durham are thought provoling common sense being. What can they find to comment on in the troll bullshit. Troy, you are disturbed by anonymous posters but not by S.R. who posts in French purposely to say jhe's better than you are. he's special because he's the only one posting in French. He's ;aughing at the rest of you ebery time he posts. Ed.

If thieves come in to your house and decide to steal, vandalize and pillage the place, are you going to stand around and ignore them? If anything, the instinct to defend what's yours and belongs to you will set in and the adrenaline will be such that you probably won't recognize your own strength. At least that is what one imagines would be the reaction in such an unfortunate.

These trolls are the cyber terrorists invading the house, not only do we want to brow beat them into oblivion, but we want to ensure they forget how to get here...lose the map to this place. And if they stupidly insist on hanging around..we'll then they will be called-out for the Frauds they are. Either way..they will never have the last word..just ask jack parasite about that one. LOL

This is my house...born and bred in la belle province...YOU however are an import..So you should dust off THE MAP you flew here on and find your way back to where you came from...ONTARIO. You're the immigrants we can do without..bbbb..byyeee.

FROM ED One thing I would not do wth invaders is sit around and chat with them like you do. Anyway, If you and Cutie and thatguy want to go on filling the blog with the trolls and the one liner links, perhaps more intelligentb posters can find a blog that has room for them. I already have. Ed

And what the hell are you bringing me into this for may I ask? Why don't you comment on the information provided in the links instead of re-hashing all the damn "good old days"? The links I provide give plenty of up-to-date pertinent information as to what is going on here AT THE PRESENT TIME and we should be talking about is going on RIGHT NOW and what can be done in the future not what the hell has gone on since the Plains of Abraham. I ignore the trolls 99% of the time but AnceTOTE has a right to deal with them the way she sees fit - another freedom of choice for her. If I was the Editor I would kick both student and SR right off the site because they contribute nothing but that is his decision not mine. Psycho-analyzing why the franco-supremcists feel that this province belongs strictly to them and not to the rest of the country is beyond me but I can't see why or how talking about it will change one damn thing. I would say that most people are interested in what is taking place here and now but if you feel that talking about what went on prior to the last referendum is important, that is your choice. People will only read what they are interested in anyway.

Ed, you are continually trying to tell people what they should post, who they should respond to and what language they should do it in?

Maybe you should join the PQ since you seem to want to control everyone's thoughts and minds? Or perhaps make your own blog? This blog has an Editor and he/she is the person that has put the work into to maintain the blog. If you want to control the blog may I suggest making your own blog so you can then have full control of it.

As far as the links to the newspaper articles, again I only speak for MYSELF but I appreciate people posting them here. Unlike you, I do not have the time or ability to read every newspaper article in this country, so I enjoy when people post a link to an article that might be of interest. I could careless if it is in English or French as I am looking at content not language. I am not fluent in French but I have the ability to use a translator and plenty of French speaking friends to help if I need it. Not to mention looking at French articles and reading posts in French, only help to improve my French comprehension which I am personally interested in doing.

Sure sometimes there is repetition, I just skip that article and go to the next article that I may not have read or not read as carefully as would have liked to previously

Whats the big deal and why all the hostility?

Do you hate the policies of Quebec Government or do you hate French people? I am really starting to wonder?

FROM EDThe links tell us nothing we don't already know and that's why the regulars are not posting. It's stuff that has already been rehashed. It's obvious there is nothing worth commenting on.However, I mailed a letter to eight newpapers in the largest cities of our country confronting the Prime Minister and informing Canadians across Canada of the plight of Quebec Anglos. Three of the papers included my email address (at my request) I have had a member of Provincial Pariament rom Halifax say he intends to look into it. Into what I don't know. An activist from Victoria who read the Vancouver Sun tells me she and her group will sread the word. they had a different outlook about us before, thinking that we were all part of the PQ's plans. They had no idea we were suffering and no idea we are Federalist Canadians..When I posted the letter here a few days ago there was not one wod from anyone on this blog. It seems to be; - 'Don't disturb us with reality the trolls may not like it. and for God's sake don't do somethingwe don't want to get involved. Howard was right about English Quebecers.Cutie, Anectote do you not wonder why the regulars are not posting? Ed

I don't agree that everyone knows what is in every paper all over Canada Ed. I receive one newspaper a day in my home - I subscribe to a few others on line that other people do not. People in Montreal do not receive the same newspapers as I do here in the Outaouais so when I post links don't say that the links "tell you nothing you don't already know" because that is not possible unless you subscribe to all the newspapers and TV stations out there. And exactly when and where on this blog are these matters being re-hashed or even discussed Ed? There are only a couple of us that make comments about what is going on outside our homes right now.

What I do notice is that people like RS also look outside their own area for news as I do. Was I supposed to tell you that the letter you sent to the Ottawa Citizen didn't get published because I could have told you that as it is my newspaper so don't say you know what is in all the papers - it's not possible. On some of the FB sites I pick up a lot more info as to what is being said all over the world and I show the link. That information to me is what we should be discussing not what happened 50 years ago when supposedly the anglphones told the francophones to speak white! What does that have to do with the price of tea in China? I enjoy reading all the articles in the other papers and would love to talk about them but, as I said, few on this blog seem to want to do that. And as to why the regulars are not posting - I have to presume that they also are fed up with especially student and SR and I can't blame them for that. Perhaps they have found other blogs they enjoy more - who knows. If they don't tell us, I guess we'll never know but, as I said, because we did have some very intelligent posters, I wish they would come back and talk about what is happening right now and what they think we can do about it. That is where they could be helpful and informative. As for getting involved, there has never been anyone on this blog that has been more involved than me as I have done everything one person can do to get information out there!

Ed those in glass houses shouldn't cast stones, you can't sit there and say you've never responded to any comments from the troll squad, and insult everyone else's intelligence for doing so. Nor can you make any evaluations of the content or common sense of a post based on who it's replying to.

Do I acknowledge the majority of SR and students posts are completely irrelevant, lazy and purely concocted out of spite? Sure they are. They've actually gotten even worse since the editor's post about cracking down, increasing in frequency, most being just one line insults, posts to borderline racist fringe blogs, completely irrelevant links or just random forum posts from other locations. However it is not up to me to decide what is acceptable or not on this blog and if posts are made that are categorically false or misleading I will attempt to offer a more moderate or realistic view on them supported by evidence or rational.

Have I been guilty of one liners from time to time? Sure I have, but at some point there is so little information or anything of substance coming from the side it's hard to add anything substantive. Do I want to degrade to exchanges of so little value? No and I've said as much on numerous occasions. Though on the other hand you've chided Apparatchik for writing too long, too "heady" comments. So what do you want? I'd hazard to guess the posters on here whom you prefer have been MIA, because not much of interest has been going on in Quebec, it's been nothing but charter talk for a month now and there's only so many times you can state your position, I have it's a hypocritical bill that steps on rights in order to not fix a problem that doesn't exist.

All of that said, I do not need to be lectured to from a person who makes sweeping generalizing statements like "Typical of separatists to feel they are special." or false exaggerations like "80% of Francophones here are on welfare or working for the Quebec government. " or whose majority of comments are complaining about SR writing in French, the Editor heard you the first time if he will allow SR to post in French that's his prerogative.

I'm sorry that you don't like links because you're a media hawk and have seen it all before, great, some people haven't and may find the stories interesting if they are relevant to the blog or that post. If the editor says he is against them I’ll stop of course. Many of the editor’s posts are about drawing peoples attention to interesting news stories, so will you be complaining to him about his posts as well if you’ve happened to have seen the links he posts? I'm also sorry you don't think enough people posted on the letter you posted. Someone of us did, asking that it be removed, looking out for your best interests as it had your address, and then it was gone. When you reposted it there were posts on it but you never responded, however if you want my thoughts on it, here they are.

It's overly alarmist, filled with exaggerations and completely unrealistic in its demands. I'm no fan of Harper, but to put Quebec's problems at his feet him or any other prime minister is ridiculous. Canada is a federation with separation of powers, the federal government can not intrude on provincial powers nor can they override the notwithstanding clause. What would you have the Prime Minister do? Send in the tanks? Do you really think withholding transfer payments is at all realistic or would solve anything in the least? You don't think that would at all lead to increased ideas of separation? If the Prime Minister did what you demand, it would pretty much all but assure the destruction of this country. Is all just peachy in Quebec? No, but it'll be mutual understanding, learning to live with one another, throwing out the conflicts of the past and accepting others differences that will solve the problem, not going to defcon 5.

FROM EDYour post is full of untruths. I do not write to the trolls. I never have done so. I am not6 stupid enough to talk to someone knowing it's helping him spoil the blog I enjoy. Why others do so I don't know.. I asked Apparatchik to use less difficult language so we could understand him without having to pick up a dictionary. I suggested this to him a way back and he agreed he does get carried away. he has such a great command of our language he tends to forget not everyone can keep up with him. You say "I do not need to be lectured to from a person who makes sweeping generalizing statements like "Typical of separatists to feel they are special." or false exaggerations like "80% of Francophones here are on welfare or working for the Quebec government. " or whose majority of comments are complaining about SR writing in French," Typical of separatists to feel they are special - that is Cuties line, she says it all the time. I might have said it but I don't remember 80% of nationalist francophones being on welfare is something I picked up on this blog. You did not ask that my letter be removed, Editor did it himself for me. There were no posts on my letter, you forget I'm reading the samee blog as you.As for your opinion of my letter, you forgotto mention that it will inform canadians in the ROC that we are good people so don't villify us for the doings of the Quebec government. But that would be a good thing so you leave it out. Bullshit. Ed.

Ed the truth will set you free, and I do my research before posting so let’s get this over with.

-You have indeed written to trolls, not recently I'll give you that, but on Aug 2nd you responded to student, and on Aug 5th you responded to SR. But mostly you respond to them, but not at them; refusing to talk to someone in the same room but talking to everyone else about that person while they can hear isn't really not talking to them. Do you think constantly referring to them and complaining about them is any better than responding to them?

-You did ask Apparatchik to "put down the thesaurus" as you felt he used too many big words, but in the previous sentence you also said "your lofty discourses are boring" discourse being the actual discussion/speech, not the wording. Though I’ll concede to you on this point if you simply misspoke.

-"Typical of separatists to feel they are special." I don't care if Cutie says it all of the time Ed, you said it as well, and someone else doing something does not excuse you from doing the same.

-"80% of Francophones here are on welfare or working for the Quebec government. " that was in YOUR letter Ed, it is something you mailed across the country, and it's not even something you're sure of, or even know where you got it from. How do you think that affects the credibility of your letter? You need to check and double check facts, having such extreme exaggerations pretty much bottoms out your credibility and only hurts your cause.

-I as well as other posters recommended (I believe Apparatchik did so before me) that the editor remove your letter with the address, which he did as well as the rest of the thread hence our comments trying to help you no longer exist, I'm not sure why I'd make that up.

-Rodger Rabbit commented on your letter, but why are you surprised there were so few comments? It was posted on a house cleaning post and a new post was released by the editor hours later, everyone migrated to that one, I didn't even know you had reposted it until I went back today.

-Your letter will not send the message that there are good people who shouldn't be vilified. The whole thing is a fundamentally angry letter, you're angry at the PQ, at Harper, at all the federal parties, I get that, and you may have a right to be, but there's a fine line between impassioned and frantic, this letter does not inspire sympathy. You go onto say there are 1 million anglo federalists, you have no idea that, that is the case, there are only about 1 million anglos in Quebec, all of them are federalists and now you speak for them? What about the Francophones and allophones that don't support the PQ or language laws? Only ~31% of Quebec voted for the PQ why not use that number instead. Why only blame the PQ for what is going on in Quebec? They haven't even passed any new language laws, the Liberals did not reduce them in the 11 years they were in power even when they had the chance (see bill 115) and gave more money and jobs to the OQLF (http://www.cjad.com/CJADLocalNews/entry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10366041), why not take them to task as well? Laughing into the hollow carcass of a cow, would accomplish nothing but it wouldn't take years. I get that you're passionate but you need to tone down the rhetoric and write from a calmer place if you want to be taken seriously.

-There are many more choice quotes from you if you don't like the ones I used "Simply that French having more babies does not help the economy because they grow up and land on welfare which is more of a drain." or "Spoken like a true Muslim"

-You complain about news links when you posted one not two weeks ago about the CAQ denouncing Marois' refusal to negotiate on bill 14.

FROM EDThis is what I posted on August second:nonymousFriday, August 2, 2013 at 12:43:00 PM EDT

FROM EDDr. Couillard will be able to achieve unity after the election, he has the qualities needed to bring about conciliation. When the hospitals were in planning Jean Charest agreed with the planning committee that both French and English hospitals could be started at the same time. Unfortnately the French committee kept demanding more studies in inconsequential items. When Arthur Porter complained to Charest he called in the one person he knew could bring about harmony. Couillard achieved an accord in five days.He has been talking to groups and convrting whole groups of fence sitters to diehard Libs Of course it's not hard to do when you show people what Quebec is capable of economically. Sensible people agree right away. he has also been working with the leaders of the Roman Catholic Church encouraging them to broherhood with their anglo brethern, a move I suggested on this blog but was accused of being dotty and inane by Cutie. I was also told by Cutie that Dr. Couillard had never said he would give English people rights. I was called a Liberal lover. Well, I am a Liberal lover. I love anyone who can get us out of this mess and facts prove the Libs are the ones that can do it. If we don't campaign against the approaching cavalry we might be rescued. EdReplyReplies

studentFriday, August 2, 2013 at 2:53:00 PM EDT

@ed

"Well, I am a Liberal lover."

how can you expect to influence your rational readers when you tell them all you write is filtered by "love"?!?

"...facts prove the Libs are the ones that can do it..."

fact? what facts?!? AnonymousFriday, August 2, 2013 at 9:34:00 PM EDT

FROM ED Incidentally, Dr.Couillard never said he would give English people rights, he said under his Premiership French and English would have equal rights, which amounts to EXACTLY the SAME thing.

Thatguy has the audacity to call this communicating with trolls when I was actually replying to myself. On top of that the insidious worm dug back two months to find something he could spin against me with a twisted mind. Of course I used the reply I was adding something I left out. The troll maging to get in between was ideal for him to turn into mud to sling. Disgusting snake. Ed

Oh so you were just talking to yourself, on an online forum? Well that's a new one, I mean sure you replied a full 6 1/2 hours after student relied and a full 9 hours after your first comment, but I'm sure the addition had nothing to do with student. Now who were you replying to on Aug 5th, because the only other comment in the thread above you are two by SR and a completely unrelated one from RS, is this just another happy accident?

Insidious worm, well I don't think that necessary, nor appropriate. I mean if you're going to make the completely outlandish statement that you have never replied to a troll you don't think it's fair game for me to go back 1 month (September comes after August) out of a 3 year history? That's less than .02% of your posting history that is nothing. Now if I wanted to be sneaky I could have just gone back to when you first met any of the trolls, and not knowing they were trolls, and responded to them. Bam! Disproved you've ever responded to them, but thank goodness I only had to go back a few posts! But if you really need another post, well shucks, fine!

AnonymousTuesday, July 16, 2013 at 10:31:00 AM EDTFROM EDLike most separatist trolls you make up figures and think we're stupid enough to believe them.According to statistics Canada website, the Quebec GDP is not 250 billion but 345 million. Canada's GDP is 1 billion 762 million not 1050 billion as you say.You would mak a great publicity minister for Marois but she already has Lisee to spin her lies.What you don't understand about this blog is that we are English Federalists who tell it like it is. Ed

Wow you even call him a troll in your response to him! I'm not sure I could make up a better post!

I see you've chosen to not retort any of the other statements I've made, I guess just calling someone a liar over and over again when confronted with verifiable quotes is a rather weak argument, so stick with your one weak point and your other name calling, it certainly lends credibility to your assertion that I'm the one with lacking character.

lol How does that even get past editing? I mean I can only think of one combination that would be worse than that: French word for "to grate cheese" ; English word (well this can be almost anything really but lets go with one) for "animal that has wool".

You're entirely correct, they should also crack down on all this english being used on OUR Quebec internets. Pauline should look into China's firewall technology ASAP.

On a more serious note though:I'm sure there are plenty of statistics to show that we work less than the Canadian average, but I can't help think more about that "Average hours worked per week" statistic.

I suppose it can be used to show that we're lazier than the average Canadian, but on the other hand it seems like a lower amount of work hours per week could be considered a good thing, an indication of progress in working conditions.Isn't a shorter work week what we should be aiming for over time, while maintaining or increasing productivity levels?

Again, that last sentence obviously has nothing to do with Quebec, but productivity levels definitely need to be factored in when you're comparing average hours worked per week.

Cracking down on english on the internet might be the future biz model for the political parties.

The govt needs to buy quebec technology of course to run the great firewall of Quebec. Cisco not being a quebec company of course can;t use that crap.

This will provide a great opportunity for our friends in organized crime and a few front companies to import some low end hardware from China. Change the stickers on all hardware front to Genevieau or whatever.

"License" a select list of insider install companies run by friends.

Double or triple the prices all the hardware, control the bidding process add a few kickbacks to our political leaders and it's off to the races again.

This made in Quebec business model is going to come around again.

Sign, I forgot a place at the table for the unions. It's so easy tho. We've got a Quebec model template to work from.

Require all jobs to be union certified. Installers to be RBQ even though it's computers etc.

I too would like to see this happen along with our other areas that want out of Quebec. We could have one great bilingual province with Montreal as the capital! You're right, I don't think the ROC would give a shit once Montreal was out - we would then be free to negotiate the "release" of other areas too. The people have the right to decide their own future and not be dragged along by the idiots that live in Hooterville, P.Q. and think they can survive on their own. They're in for a real eye opener up in the boonies of quebec. This would be a great first step in getting rid of these losers that are holding our future in their hands and in a noose.

FROM EDYou'd make a great prosecution lawyer. Court trials are interesting in the way that the prosecutor can make a man look heinous and the defense can make the same man look like an angel bt only one is telling the truth. You claim to be truthful but you are a liar.I do not talk to trolls when I ever talk to a tgroll my comment will be addressed to him. You say"refusing to talk to someone in the same room but talking to everyone else about that person while they can hear isn't really not talking to them. Do you think constantly referring to them and complaining about them is any better than responding to them?" That would be true if I was talking about the troll but if one reads my comments they can see iy's not true. It's called an open comment, that's what we do here. Why do you try to make itlook wrong,? Are you stalking me? It sure sounds like it. The lies that you and others asked for my letter to be deleted speak for themselves. If you had the comments would be there or at least the deleting of them. You have a way of turning everything your enemy says into shit. I don't know why I've become your enemy, I ahve nothing against you. I always like your posts but now I'm not sure of their accuracy.Anyway having checked your veracity, I feel better because I know now that your posts against me is simple vindictiveness. So I an ignore it all. Ed

@Ed The only person who ever attacked anyone in an ad hominem fashion is you insulting my intelligence and integrity. I've stuck solely to criticizing things you've actually said, I have not said anything about you personally at all, I don't know you personally. How you can call me a liar for posting messages you've posted is beyond me.

When you hit the reply button on a troll's comment and respond directly to what they said even without saying @troll, that is responding to the troll, whether you believe it or not is entirely besides the point, I have posted two instances where you answered directly to trolls. The forum is not a open comment format, there are reply buttons below comments which is used to respond to threads, and then there is a add comment button at the very end of the page for creating a new thread.

Again, not a lie, I as well as others asked the editor to remove your letter, and then he did, as well as the posts suggesting it should be removed, since the letter itself no longer existed why leave the replies? The editor has started removing things without leaving "comment deleted by administrator" comments, hence why there isn't a system deletion notice for your letter itself.

I don't have any enemies on this board, I have a low opinions of certain posters, but enemy would be taking it a bit far. I do not have magic powers that turn things people say into "shit", I simply point out the logical fallacies or inaccuracies, you can either stick your head in the sand in response to them, or accept the criticism and tighten up your arguments, which will only help in presenting your ideas and help your cause.

It is surprising for you to say you have nothing against me, you were the person who singled me out to attack and blame for the troll problem on this board, so far as I know they were here before me and will continue to be here whether I am or not. If you have an issue with the trolls don't take it out on everyone else on this board, we have no control over what they do, they have free will and have unfortunately chosen to waste it by making pointless, idiotic and pithy comments on a forum board with the sole purpose of trying to make them feel better about the majority of people in the world not agreeing with their views or them, by trying to insult other people.

Everything I have said and posted to you is 100% true, whether you listen to it and accept it is entirely up to you. You can close your ears and your mind and ignore all of it like the trolls do to all compelling arguments, or you can take the criticisms to heart and find ways to hone and improve your message and thinking.

I've already used the expression those in glass houses shouldn't throw stones in this thread already so it would be a bit trite to use it again, so how about we go with, that's like the pot calling the kettle black.

Thought some of you may be interested in hearing what Hugo had to say about his experience with the quebec militia and working for the Casse: Hope this transfers OK:https://snt145.mail.live.com/default.aspx#n=456117857&fid=1&mid=1991e7c5-23e2-11e3-80a9-0019bbe5891a&fv=1